System and method for automatic indication of contact center status using an illumination device

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for automatically controlling an electronic illumination device to indicate information pertaining to workstations or agents of a customer contact center. Some embodiments are useful in the context of employee management because the illumination devices are used to indicate information about tasks that employees are engaged in, the performance of the employees, and the status of the employees. A computer system coupled to the illumination device executes control software configured to send control signals over a communication interface, such as USB or Bluetooth. The data sent to the electronic illumination device can cause the illumination device to turn off or on, change color, blink, strobe, etc., for producing desired lighting effects representative of a status or event associated with an employee or workstation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to provisional application Ser.No. 62/747,604, filed on Oct. 18, 2018, entitled “USE USB-RGB LIGHTDISPLAY CONNECTED TO CONTACT CENTER AGENT COMPUTER TO INDICATEAT-A-GLANCE A VARIETY OF INFORMATION” and naming the same inventors asin the present application. The contents of the above referencedprovisional application are incorporated by reference, the same as iffully set forth herein.

FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate tocomputer-controlled illumination devices. More specifically, embodimentsof the present invention relate to computer-implemented systems andmethods for automatically controlling an illumination device in order toconvey information at a glance.

BACKGROUND

Customer contact centers or service centers typically employ arelatively large number of employees (agents) working in a common areaor floor overseen by a floor manager or supervisor. The agents select anavailable workstation to at which to work for receiving customerinquiries and for assisting the customers to solve the inquiries byphone, email, or electronic chat, for example. In some cases it may bedifficult for an agent to determine which stations are available orwhich stations are occupied by agents that are temporarily away from thestation, such as when an employee is taking a short break. Once theagent is working at a station, if the agent is having difficulty inassisting the customer to solve the customer's inquiry, the agent willstand up and raise their hand to indicate that they need assistance fromthe floor supervisor. The status of an agent that is requestingassistance is often referred to as a “hand raised”. In the best-casescenario, the floor supervisor quickly responds to the agent's requestfor assistance, but often times several agents require assistance in ashort time frame, and an agent may have to wait five or more minutesbefore they begin to receive assistance.

The requirement for an agent to physically stand up and raise their handto receive assistance is often inefficient because the agent must stopworking and cannot access or reference a knowledgebase, product manual,customer account, etc., while they wait to receive assistance. Moreover,the floor supervisor may have difficulty determining the order in whichthe agents requested assistance, or how long an agent has been waitingfor assistance, etc., and determining which agent should receiveassistance next. Furthermore, a floor supervisor may have to access asoftware program to determine information (e.g., metrics) related toagent status or performance, for example, which takes the supervisor'sattention away from observing the agents on the floor in real-time.

What is needed is a method and device that enables a supervisor toeasily obtain information pertaining to the agents working on a contactcenter floor at-a-glance so that the supervisor can efficiently managethe agents of the contact center.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods forautomatically controlling an electronic illumination device to indicateinformation pertaining to workstations or agents of a customer contactcenter. Embodiments of the present invention are useful in the contextof employee management because the electronic illumination device isused to indicate information about tasks that employees are engaged in,the performance of the employees, and the status of the employees. Acomputer system coupled to the electronic illumination device executescontrol software configured to send control signals over a communicationinterface, such as USB or Bluetooth. The data sent to the illuminationdevice can cause the illumination device to turn off or on, changecolor, blink, strobe, etc., for producing desired visual effectrepresentative of a status or event associated with an employee orworkstation. By scanning across the contact center floor, the supervisorcan obtain a rapid visual inspection of the types of questions,assistances, or status that are applicable to the agents on the floor.

According to one embodiment, an electronic device including anelectrical and physical interface operable to be coupled to a port of acomputer system is disclosed, where the computer system includes aprocessor, a rod-shaped casing housing the interface, a circuit boardincluding circuitry housed within the casing, where the circuitryreceives control signals from the computer system over the interface andcontrols an illumination element, and the illumination element disposedon one end of the rod shaped-casing and operable to produce a color thatcorresponds to a real-time status associated with the computer system,where the real-time status is determined by the processor andinformation read by the processor from the computer system.

According to some embodiments the computer system receives aninformation request from a remote monitor over a network interface,where the computer system obtains the real-time status responsive to theinformation request, and where further the circuitry controls theillumination element responsive to the information request.

According to some embodiments the computer system receives a lightconfiguration from the remote monitor, and where the computer systemsends control signals to the circuitry to control the illuminationelement based on the light configuration.

According to some embodiments the light configuration includes at leastone of a status threshold and a performance threshold.

According to some embodiments the real-time status represents a timeduration of an agent logged into the computer system.

According to some embodiments the real-time status represents an agentrequesting assistance.

According to some embodiments the real-time status represents a workingtime of an agent using the computer system.

According to some embodiments the real-time status represents an agentusing the computer system, and where the agent is logged in to thecomputer system but not working on the computer system.

According to some embodiments the real-time status represents a softwareprogram executed by the computer system.

According to some embodiments the illumination element rapidly changesthe color to produce a lighting effect corresponding to the real-timestatus.

According to another embodiment, a method of monitoring contact centerstatus among a plurality of agents of a contact center is disclosed. Themethod includes a remote monitor sending an information request to agentcomputer systems of the contact center, where the contact centerincludes the plurality of agents, and where the agent computer systemsinclude a processor, a communication port, and an electronicillumination device, responsive to receiving the information request,the agent computer systems of the plurality of agents determiningreal-time status information, and electronic illumination devices of theagent computer systems illuminating respective colors representative ofrespective real-time status information determined by the associatedagent computer systems. Each electronic illumination device includes anelectrical and physical interface operable to be coupled a communicationport of the associated agent computer system, a rod-shaped casinghousing the electrical and physical interface, a circuit board includingcircuitry housed within the casing, where the circuitry receives controlsignals from the associated agent computer system over the interface andcontrols an illumination element, and the illumination element disposedon one end of the rod shaped-casing and operable to produce therespective colors representative of the real-time status information,where the real-time status information is determined by the processorand information read by the processor from the agent computer systems.

According to some embodiments the real-time status information includestasks currently performed by each agent.

According to some embodiments the real-time status information includesan identity of a first agent, where the first agent has a highestperformance level based on a prescribed metric.

According to some embodiments the real-time status information includesproductivity information for the agents.

According to a different embodiment, a method of monitoring contactcenter status among a plurality of agents is disclosed. The methodincludes determining real-time status of agent computer systemsassociated with the plurality of agents, where the agent computersystems include a processor and a communication port, and based on thereal-time status read from a light configuration to determine lightingeffects that correspond to the real-time status, causing electronicillumination devices associated with the agent computer systems toproduce the lighting effects reflective of the real-time status, whereeach electronic illumination device includes an electrical and physicalinterface operable to be coupled to a communication port of an agentcomputer system, a rod-shaped casing housing the interface, a circuitboard including circuitry housed within the casing, where the circuitryreceives control signals from the agent computer system over theinterface and controls an illumination element, where the illuminationelement is disposed on one end of the rod shaped-casing and operable toproduce lighting effects that correspond to the real-time statusesassociated with the agent computer system.

According to some embodiments the real-time statuses indicate if arespective agent has requested assistance.

According to some embodiments the method includes the electronic devicesilluminating a new color when a respective agent no longer requiresassistance.

According to some embodiments the agent computer systems further includea network interface, and further includes the agent computer systemssending the real-time statuses to a remote monitor system using thenetwork interface.

According to some embodiments the remote monitor selects a first agentof the plurality of agents to receive assistance.

According to some embodiments a respective electronic illuminationdevice associated with the first agent changes color responsive to beingselected by the supervisor computer system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part ofthis specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and,together with the description, serve to explain the principles of theinvention:

FIG. 1A depicts an exemplary computer system for automaticallycontrolling illumination devices to indicate information associated withagents and/or workstations of a contact center according to embodimentsof the present invention.

FIG. 1B depicts an exemplary customer contact center including agentcomputer systems in communication with respective illumination devicesfor conveniently indicating information to a floor supervisor accordingto embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary electrical illumination device for emittinglight to indicate the status of an agent and/or workstation of a contactcenter according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary block diagram and data flow diagramdepicting a computer system for automatically indicating the status ofan agent and/or workstation of a contact center according to embodimentsof the present invention.

FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary light configuration for automaticallycontrolling an illumination device to indicate information pertaining tothe status of agents and/or workstations of a contact center accordingto embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary light configuration for automaticallycontrolling an illumination device to indicate information pertaining tothe status of agents working at a contact center based on customizableconditions or thresholds according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary light configuration for automaticallycontrolling an illumination device to indicate information pertaining tocustomizable performance metrics for agents working at a contact centeraccording to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary sequence of computer-implemented steps forautomatically controlling an illumination device to indicate real-timeinformation (e.g., status or performance) of an agent and/or workstationof a contact center responsive to an information request or queryaccording to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary sequence of computer-implemented steps forautomatically controlling an illumination device to indicate that anagent of a contact center requires assistance according to embodimentsof the present invention.

FIG. 9 depicts an exemplary computer platform upon which embodiments ofthe present invention may be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to several embodiments. While thesubject matter will be described in conjunction with the alternativeembodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limitthe claimed subject matter to these embodiments. On the contrary, theclaimed subject matter is intended to cover alternative, modifications,and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope ofthe claimed subject matter as defined by the appended claims.

Furthermore, in the following detailed description, numerous specificdetails are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding ofthe claimed subject matter. However, it will be recognized by oneskilled in the art that embodiments may be practiced without thesespecific details or with equivalents thereof. In other instances,well-known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not beendescribed in detail as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects and featuresof the subject matter.

Portions of the detailed description that follows are presented anddiscussed in terms of a method. Although steps and sequencing thereofare disclosed in a figure herein (e.g., FIGS. 7 and 8) describing theoperations of this method, such steps and sequencing are exemplary.Embodiments are well suited to performing various other steps orvariations of the steps recited in the flowchart of the figure herein,and in a sequence other than that depicted and described herein.

Some portions of the detailed description are presented in terms ofprocedures, steps, logic blocks, processing, and other symbolicrepresentations of operations on data bits that can be performed oncomputer memory. These descriptions and representations are the meansused by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectivelyconvey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. Aprocedure, computer-executed step, logic block, process, etc., is here,and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps orinstructions leading to a desired result. The steps are those requiringphysical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though notnecessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magneticsignals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, andotherwise manipulated in a computer system. It has proven convenient attimes, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to thesesignals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers,or the like.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise as apparent from the followingdiscussions, it is appreciated that throughout, discussions utilizingterms such as “accessing,” “writing,” “including,” “storing,”“transmitting,” “associating,” “identifying,” “encoding,” or the like,refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similarelectronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms datarepresented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computersystem's registers and memories into other data similarly represented asphysical quantities within the computer system memories or registers orother such information storage, transmission or display devices.

System and Method for Automatic Indication of Agent Status Using anIllumination Device

Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods forautomatically controlling an electronic illumination device to indicateinformation pertaining to workstations or agents of a customer contactcenter. Some embodiments are useful in the context of employeemanagement because the illumination devices are used to indicateinformation about tasks that employees are engaged in, the performanceof the employees, and the status of the employees. A computer systemcoupled to the illumination device executes control software configuredto send control signals over a communication interface, such as USB orBluetooth. The data sent to the electronic illumination device can causethe illumination device to turn off or on, change color, blink, strobe,etc., for producing desired lighting effects representative of areal-time status or event associated with an employee or workstation.According to some embodiments, the data includes an information requestsent from a supervisor computer system to agent computer system. Theinformation request can be concerning performance or productivitymetrics of an agent, the current status of the agent, the availabilityof a workstation, etc. By scanning across the contact center floor, thesupervisor can obtain a rapid visual inspection of the types ofquestions, assistances, or status that are applicable to the agents onthe floor.

With regard to FIG. 1A, an exemplary computer system 100 forautomatically controlling electronic illumination (e.g., LED) devices115, 120, and 125 to indicate information associated with agents and/orworkstations of a contact center is depicted according to embodiments ofthe present invention. The computer system 100 includes a supervisorcomputer system 105 connected to one or more agent computer systems 130,135, and 140 over a computer network 110. Computer network 110facilitates communication between the computer systems over a wired orwireless connection, and may include a local area network, a wirelessnetwork or the Internet. According to some embodiments, the electronicillumination devices 115, 120, and 125 have a rod or stick shape and aredisposed in a vertical orientation above or next to the agent computersystems 130, 135, and 140 in a fashion that the illumination devices canbe visualized by a supervisor or manager on the floor of the center.

The agent computer systems 130, 135, and 140 can be used in a contactcenter for facilitating agent communications with customers and forsolving customer service issues. For example, a customer can call anagent or chat with an agent to describe a customer service issue, andthe agent can use their respective computer system to respond to thecustomer and access customer service information such as informationregarding the customer's account, knowledgebases, manuals, etc. Thesupervisor computer system or monitor system 105 is in communicationwith the agent computers systems 130, 135, and 140 for interfacing withthe agents and for obtaining data from the agent computer systems suchas agent status, inquiry status, an agent requesting assistance (“handraised”), and performance/productivity metrics. For example, thesupervisor computer system 105 can execute software that displays a listof all agents in the contact center, including the status of the agents,such as which agents have requested help, which agents are currentlybeing helped, performance metrics of the agents, how long an agent hasbeen working, etc.

In one example, the agent computer system 130 causes illumination device115 to turn a particular color (e.g., red) to indicate that the agentworking at computer system 130 has requested assistance. The agentcomputer system 130 also sends information to supervisor computer system105 over network 110 to indicate that the agent has requestedassistance, and the request for assistance can be displayed on agraphical user interface rendered on a display device of the supervisorcomputer system 105. The supervisor can select or acknowledge theagent's request for assistance using the graphical user interface, and acontrol signal is sent from the supervisor computer system 105 to theagent computer system 130 over network 110 to cause the illuminationdevice 115 to turn yellow, for example, to indicate that help is on theway.

Once the agent has received assistance, either the agent computer system130 or the agent computer system 105 can be used to indicate thatassistance is no longer required, and the illumination device 115 stopsemitting light. According to some embodiments, an information request issent from supervisor computer system 105 to agent the computer systems130, 135, and/or 140. The information request can be concerningperformance metrics of an agent, the current status of the agent, theavailability of a workstation, etc. In response, real-time informationis obtained from agent computer system systems 130, 135, and/or 140 tosatisfy the request, and the illumination devices 115, 120, and/or 125to turn on or change colors according to the real-time information.Based on the color and/or effect produced by the electronic illuminationdevices 115, 120, and/or 125, real-time status information of agents onthe floor is conveniently and efficiently obtained in response to themanager viewing the illuminated electronic devices 145B-197B withouthaving to access a separate device or user interface.

With regard to FIG. 1B, an exemplary customer contact center 101including agent computer systems 145A-197A in communication withillumination devices 145B-197B for conveniently indicating informationto a floor supervisor according to embodiments of the present invention.The agent computer systems may be connected to a network orcommunication system for communicating with a supervisor system asdepicted in FIG. 1A. The supervisor computer system or monitor system isin communication with the agent computers systems 145A-197A forinterfacing with the agents and for obtaining data from the agentcomputer systems such as agent status, inquiry status, an agentrequesting assistance (“hand raised”), and performance metrics.Moreover, an information request can be sent to agent the computersystems 145A-197A, and the illumination devices 145B-197B turn on orchange colors in real-time according to the criteria of the informationrequest.

As depicted in FIG. 1B, the agent computer systems 150A, 170A, and 175Ameet the criteria of an information request and therefore illuminationdevices 150B, 170B, and 175B illuminate using a first color or effect.For example, the supervisor computers system can issue an informationrequest that includes illuminating the illumination devices of agentcomputer systems that are browsing a social media website, andillumination devices 150B, 170B, and 175B illuminate using the firstcolor or effect to indicate that the agents using agent computer systems150A, 170A, and 175A are browsing social media websites and thereforemeet the criteria of the information request.

The agent computer systems 165A and 197A meet the criteria of a secondinformation request and therefore illumination devices 165B and 197Billuminate using a second color or effect. For example, the supervisorcomputers system can issue an information request that includesilluminating the illumination devices of agent computer systems thathave been idle for more than 10 minutes, and illumination devices 165Band 197B illuminate using the second color or effect to indicate thatagent computer systems 165A and 197A have been idle for more than 10minutes and therefore meet the criteria of the information request.Based on the color and/or effect produced by the electronic illuminationdevices 145B-197B, real-time status information across the contactcenter 101 is conveniently and efficiently obtained in response to thesupervisor viewing the illuminated electronic devices 145B-197B withouthaving to access a separate device or user interface. Other informationrequests can be based on performance/productivity metrics or thresholds,workstation status, what application is being executed by theworkstation, etc.

With regard to FIG. 2, an exemplary electrical illumination (e.g., LED)device 200 for emitting light to indicate the status of an agent and/orworkstation of a contact center is depicted according to embodiments ofthe present invention. The illumination device 200 includes a circuitboard including circuitry 205 for controlling an illumination element(e.g., LED) 215. The circuitry can control the LED 215 to selectivelyturn the LED 215 on and off and control the color of light emitted bythe LED 215. For example, according to some embodiments the circuitry205 can cause LED 215 to blink, strobe, display a pattern of light, emitlight for a predetermined period of time, change color, changeintensity, emit a color gradient (e.g., fade from red to green), etc.The circuitry 205 is disposed in a casing 210 to house and protect thecircuitry 205, and includes a transparent or semi-transparent LED coveror lens 220 that can be illuminated by the LED 215 and/or diffuse thelight produced by LED 215. Of course, LED is only one example of a lightsource and many other well-known suitable light sources can also beemployed.

The circuitry 205 is connected to a computer system 230 using acommunication interface or port 225 such as USB, although any interfacewell-known in the art can be included, and the illumination device 200receives power over the communication interface 225. Using communicationport 225, the LED device 200 receives control signals from a computersystem that causes circuitry 205 to control (e.g., activate, modify,adjust) the behavior of illumination element 215 by causing the circuit205 to enter different operational modes. The control signals receivedover communication port 225 can cause the LED 215 to produce lightingeffects responsive to an event or status associated with an agent orworkstation of a contact center. According to some embodiments,circuitry 205 controls the behavior of illumination element 215responsive to control signals received over communication port 225 basedon predetermined thresholds, performance metrics, or more code numbers.The thresholds and metrics can be defined and customized using a monitoror supervisor computer system, for example. Based on the color and/oreffect produced by the electronic illumination device 200, real-timestatus information of the computer system 230 is conveniently andefficiently obtained in response to viewing the illuminated electronicdevices 200 without having to access a separate device or userinterface.

With regard to FIG. 3, an exemplary block diagram and data flow diagram300 of a computer system for automatically indicating the status of anagent and/or workstation of a contact center is depicted according toembodiments of the present invention. A supervisor computer systemreceives data 305 from agent computer system 320 over a communicationinterface 310 such as a local area network or the Internet. The datareceived can include performance metrics of an agent, the current statusof the agent, the status or availability of a workstation, etc. Thesupervisor system 305 can also send data and control signals 315 toagent computer system 320 to cause the illumination device 335 tocontrollably emit light 340 based on prescribed events and situations.The agent computer system 320 executes control software 345 to sendcontrol signals to illumination device 335 over a communicationinterface 330, such as USB or Bluetooth. The data 315 sent by thesupervisor system 305 and the data 330 sent by the agent computer system320 can cause the illumination device 335 to turn off or on, changecolor, change modes, blink, strobe, change brightness, etc., forproducing light output 340. For example, supervisor system 305 can senddata to the agent computer system 320, and the control software 345executing on the agent computer system 320 sends corresponding controlsignals to the illumination device 335 for producing a desired lightingeffect 340. Based on the lighting effect 340, real-time statusinformation associated with agent computer system 320 is convenientlyand efficiently obtained in response to viewing the illuminatedelectronic the lighting effect 340 without having to access a separatedevice or user interface.

According to some embodiments, data 315 includes an information requestsent from supervisor computer system 305 to agent computer system 320.The information request can relate to performance metrics of an agent,the current status of the agent, the availability or status of aworkstation, etc. In response to the information request, real-timeinformation is obtained from agent computer system 320 to satisfy therequest. The information may include an indication of how long an agenthas been logged into a computer system, what software the computersystem is executing, how long the agent has been on hold, if the agenthas not recently taken a break, the availability of a workstation, etc.The real-time information can displayed on a display device connected tosupervisor computer 305 and/or can be used to control illuminationdevice 335 for causing illumination device 335 to turn off or on, changecolor, change brightness, change modes, blink, strobe, etc., forproducing light output 340.

According to some embodiments, supervisor computer system 305 generatesa memory resident light configuration file, table, or data structure 325stored as a data structure in memory and for defining conditions whichcause the illumination device 335 to emit light with pre-defined effectsas depicted in table 400 (FIG. 4). Moreover, according to someembodiments, the light configuration file or table 325 can cause theillumination device 335 to emit light based on customizable conditionsand customizable effects as depicted in table 500 (FIG. 5) and table 600(FIG. 6). In one example, the light configuration file 325 is defined bythe supervisor computer system 305 and causes software executed by theagent computer system 320 to control the illumination device 335 to turnblue for 10 minutes when the agent working at a station has worked formore than 4 hours without taking a break. In another example, the lightconfiguration 325 defined by the supervisor computer system 305 causessoftware executed by the agent computer system 320 to instruct theillumination device 335 to blink orange for example for 2 minutes whenthe agent working at a station has been logged in for more than 8 hours.

According to some embodiments, the light configuration 325 includes alist of required software that agents are expected to run when workingat a workstation. For example, the light configuration 325 can includecriteria that indicates that the electronic illumination device 335 willemit a solid purple light for instance when all of the required softwareis currently being executed by an agent computer system 320. When notall of the required software is being executed by the agent computersystem 320, the criteria of the light configuration 325 can indicatethat the electronic illumination device 335 should produce a certainlighting effect 340. For example, the electronic illumination device 335can blink or strobe at a speed relative to the number of requiredsoftware applications that are not currently being executed. Moreover,according to some embodiments, the light configuration 325 can furtherinclude undesired software applications that will cause the electronicillumination device to blink or strobe more rapidly. For example, if theagent computer system 320 is running all of the required softwareapplication and is also running a game of solitaire, the electronicillumination device 335 will blink or strobe to indicate that anundesired application is being executed. According to some embodiments,the electronic illumination device 335 will blink or strobe more rapidlybased on the number of undesired software applications currently beingexecuted by the agent computer system 320.

With regard to FIG. 4, an exemplary light configuration data structure400 for automatically controlling an illumination device to indicateinformation pertaining to the real-time status of agents and/orworkstations of a contact center is depicted according to embodiments ofthe present invention. The light configuration data structure 400 isstored in memory and can include a series of entries for controlling theillumination device based on a status 405, a color 410, and/or an effect415. The status 405 describes an event or status that triggers theillumination device to display light using color 410 and/or effect 415.Each agent computer can display the corresponding visual effect inresponse to a query sent by the supervisor computer for a current statusof the agent.

In one example, a “hand raised” status indicates that an employee hasrequested assistance with a task such as satisfying a customer inquiry.When an agent requests assistance for example by selecting a “requestassistance” button on a graphical user interface displayed on theirworkstation, the illumination device connected to their workstation willemit a solid red light for instance. When a floor supervisoracknowledges the request for assistance, for example, by selecting theagent's request for assistance on a graphical user interface, theillumination device coupled to the agent's workstation will emit a solidyellow light for instance. Thereafter, when the agent is assisted by thesupervisor or assistance is no longer needed, the illumination deviceconnected to the agent's workstation stops emitting light. In anotherexample, when a workstation is available to be used by an agent, theillumination device connected to the workstation emits a solid greenlight. When the workstation becomes occupied, the illumination devicestops emitting light. A blinking green light indicates that theworkstation is occupied but locked by a user (e.g., during a break).

With regard to FIG. 5, an exemplary light configuration 500 datastructure for automatically controlling an illumination device toindicate information pertaining to the status of agents working at acontact center based on customizable conditions is depicted according toembodiments of the present invention. The status 505 describes an eventor status that triggers the illumination device to display light whencustomizable condition 510 is met using customizable color/effect 515.The customizable condition 510 and customizable color/effect 515 can bedefined by a supervisor of the contact center and provided toworkstations of the contact center for controlling illumination devicesaccording to the light configuration 500. The condition 510 andcolor/effect 515 are customizable so that any threshold (e.g., timethreshold, quantity threshold, performance threshold) and color orcolors can be used.

In one example, the light configuration 500 causes an illuminationdevice connected to a workstation to turn orange for instance when theagent working at the workstation is engaged in a call or chat that iscurrently on hold. When the agent has been on hold for more than apredetermined period of time (e.g., 5 minutes), the illumination deviceblinks orange for instance. As another example, the illumination deviceconnected to a workstation will turn blue for instance for 10 minuteswhen the agent working at the workstation has been working for more than4 hours without taking a break. As another example, the illuminationdevice connected to a workstation will blink red for 2 minutes forinstance when the agent working at the workstation has been logged infor more than 4 hours without taking a break. As another example, theillumination device connected to a workstation will blink red twice andthen blink blue twice for instance when the agent working at theworkstation has logged in to the workstation but is not yet ready tobegin working. Responsive to a supervisor query sent to all agents, theagent computers will automatically display their respective visualeffects to reflect their real-time status.

With regard to FIG. 6, an exemplary light configuration data structure600 for automatically controlling an illumination device to indicateinformation pertaining to customizable performance metrics or thresholdsfor agents working at a contact center is depicted according toembodiments of the present invention. The customizable condition 610 andcustomizable color/effect 615 can be defined by a supervisor of thecontact center and provided to workstations of the contact center forcontrolling illumination devices according to the light configuration600 depending on the real-time status of the workstations. The condition610 and color/effect 615 are customizable so that any threshold (e.g.,time threshold, quantity threshold, performance threshold) and color canbe used.

In one example, software executed by a computer system of the contactcenter such as a server or supervisor computer system determines certainperformance metrics related to the agents of the contact center, such aswhich agent has satisfied or completed the highest number of customercalls, chats, or inquiries. The software then sends a control signal tothe workstation of the agent what has handled the highest number ofcalls to cause the illumination device connected to the agent'sworkstation to emit an orange strobe light, for example. As anotherexample, the software can send a control signal to the workstation ofthe first agent to resolve a call at the contact center for a given dayor time period to cause the illumination device connected to the agent'sworkstation to produce a multi-colored pattern or gradient. As anotherexample, the software can send a control signal to the workstation ofthe agent with the highest customer satisfaction rating (e.g., based oncustomer satisfaction surveys) to cause the LED device connected to theagent's workstation to emit a blue strobe light. Based on the colorand/or effect produced by the electronic illumination device, real-timestatus information across the contact center floor can be quicklyobtained in response to viewing the illuminated electronic devices ofthe floor.

With regard to FIG. 7, an exemplary sequence of computer-implementedsteps 700 for automatically controlling an electronic illuminationdevice to indicate real-time information (e.g., status or performance)of agents and/or workstations of a contact center responsive to aninformation request or query is depicted according to embodiments of thepresent invention. At step 705, an information request is sent to theagent computer systems. The information request can include, forexample, a request for how long an agent has been logged into a computersystem, what software the computer system is executing, how long theagent has been on hold, if the agent has recently taken a break, theavailability of a workstation, performance metrics, etc. At step 710,real-time status information is determined by the agent computer systemsresponsive to the information request. This may include all agents ofthe floor or just a single agent. At step 715, a respective color and/oreffect representative of the real-time status information is produced byelectronic illumination devices coupled to an agent computer system orfrom all agent computers on the floor. Based on the color and/or effectproduced by the electronic illumination devices, real-time statusinformation across the contact center can be readily obtained by a floormanager or supervisor in response to viewing the illuminated electronicdevices.

With regard to FIG. 8, an exemplary sequence of computer-implementedsteps 800 for automatically controlling an illumination device toindicate the status of an agent of a contact center is depictedaccording to embodiments of the present invention. At step 805,real-time status information is determined by an agent computer system.The real-time status can indicate real-time performance or activityinformation associated with the agent, or indicate that a respectiveagent of a contact center requires assistance (e.g., hand raised). Atstep 810, the real-time status information determined in step 805 iscompared to the criteria of a light configuration that may be stored inmemory as a file or data structure. At step 815, a respective color(e.g., red) representative of the real-time status informationdetermined by the associated agent computer system is illuminated usingan electronic illumination device according to the criteria of the lightconfiguration file. The real-time status information (e.g., hand raised)is conveniently and efficiently obtained across the contact center inresponse to viewing the illuminated electronic devices without requiringaccess to a separate device or user interface.

According to some embodiments, a function is performed includesproviding assistance to agents requesting assistance based on the statusinformation viewed. The function can further include selecting an agentto assist and clearing the hand raised status of the agent requestingassistance. Moreover, steps 800 can include changing the respectivecolor (e.g., yellow) of the electronic illumination device responsive tothe agent receiving assistance, or turning the electronic illuminationdevice off.

Exemplary Computer System

Embodiments of the present invention are drawn to electronic systems forautomatically controlling an illumination device to indicate informationpertaining to workstations or agents of a customer contact center. Someembodiments are useful in the context of employee management to indicateinformation about tasks that employees are engaged in, the performanceof the employees, and the status of an employee or workstation, using anillumination device. The following discussion describes one suchexemplary electronic system or computer system can be used as a platformfor implementing embodiments of the present invention.

In the example of FIG. 9, the exemplary computer system 912 (e.g., anagent system or supervisor system) includes a central processing unit(CPU) 901 for running software applications and optionally an operatingsystem. Random access memory 902 and read-only memory 903 storeapplications and data for use by the CPU 901. Data storage device 904provides non-volatile storage for applications and data and may includefixed disk drives, removable disk drives, flash memory devices, andCD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical storage devices. The optional userinputs 906 and 907 comprise devices that communicate inputs from one ormore users to the computer system 912 (e.g., mice, joysticks, cameras,touch screens, and/or microphones).

A communication or network interface 908 allows the computer system 912to communicate with other computer systems, networks, or devices via anelectronic communications network, including wired and/or wirelesscommunication such as USB or Bluetooth, and including an Intranet or theInternet (e.g., 802.11 wireless standard). The optional display device910 may be any device capable of displaying visual information inresponse to a signal from the computer system 912 and may include a flatpanel touch sensitive display, for example. The components of thecomputer system 912, including the CPU 901, memory 902/903, data storage904, user input devices 906, and graphics subsystem 905 may be coupledvia one or more data buses 900.

In the embodiment of FIG. 9, an optional graphics sub-system 905 may becoupled with the data bus and the components of the computer system 912.The graphics system may comprise a physical graphics processing unit(GPU) 905 and graphics/video memory. GPU 905 may include one or morerasterizers, transformation engines, and geometry engines, and generatespixel data from rendering commands to create output images. The physicalGPU 905 can be configured as multiple virtual GPUs that may be used inparallel (e.g., concurrently) by a number of applications or processesexecuting in parallel, or multiple physical GPUs may be usedsimultaneously. Graphics sub-system 905 outputs display data to optionaldisplay device 910. The display device 910 may be communicativelycoupled to the graphics subsystem 905 using HDMI, DVI, DisplayPort, VGA,etc.

The communication or network interface 908 can be used to power and/orcontrol an electronic illumination device 914 using the computer system912 and to communicate with other computer systems, networks, or devicesvia an electronic communications network, including wired and/orwireless communication such as USB or Bluetooth, and including anIntranet or the Internet (e.g., 802.11 wireless standard). Thecommunication or network interface 908 can also be used to receive andrespond to information requests sent from a supervisor or monitorsystem, and the computer system 912 can control the electronicillumination device 914 responsive to the information request. Moreover,the computer system 912 can store light configuration files or datastructures in memory (e.g., RAM 902) for defining conditions and effectsused to control electronic illumination device 914. In this way, theelectronic illumination device 914 can be advantageously used toindicate information (e.g., real-time status or activity) to a floorsupervisor at a glance while the floor supervisor is monitoring thefloor without having to access a separate device to view the content ofgraphical user interface.

Some embodiments may be described in the general context ofcomputer-executable instructions, such as program modules, executed byone or more computers or other devices. Generally, program modulesinclude routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc.that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes. Typically the functionality of the program modules may becombined or distributed as desired in various embodiments.

Embodiments of the present invention are thus described. While thepresent invention has been described in particular embodiments, itshould be appreciated that the present invention should not be construedas limited by such embodiments, but rather construed according to thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device comprising: an electricaland physical interface operable to be coupled to a port of a computersystem, wherein said computer system comprises a processor; a rod-shapedcasing housing said interface; a circuit board comprising circuitryhoused within said casing, wherein said circuitry receives controlsignals from the computer system over the interface and controls anillumination element; and the illumination element disposed on one endof the rod shaped-casing and operable to produce a color thatcorresponds to a real-time status associated with said computer system,wherein said real-time status is determined by said processor andinformation read by said processor from said computer system, whereinsaid computer system is operable to receive an information request froma remote monitor over a network interface, wherein said computer systemobtains said real-time status responsive to said information request,and wherein further said circuitry controls said illumination elementresponsive to said information request.
 2. The electronic device ofclaim 1, wherein said computer system receives a light configurationfrom the remote monitor, and wherein further said computer system sendscontrol signals to said circuitry to control said illumination elementbased on said light configuration.
 3. The electronic device of claim 2,wherein said light configuration comprises at least one of a statusthreshold and a performance threshold.
 4. The electrical device asdescribed in claim 1 wherein said real-time status represents a timeduration of an agent logged into said computer system.
 5. The electricaldevice as described in claim 1 wherein said real-time status representsan agent requesting assistance.
 6. The electrical device as described inclaim 1 wherein said real-time status represents a working time of anagent using said computer system.
 7. The electrical device as describedin claim 1 wherein said real-time status represents an agent using saidcomputer system, and wherein said agent is logged in to said computersystem but not working on said computer system.
 8. The electrical deviceas described in claim 1 wherein said real-time status represents asoftware program executed by said computer system.
 9. The electricaldevice as described in claim 1 wherein said illumination element rapidlychanges said color to produce a lighting effect corresponding to thereal-time status.
 10. A method of monitoring contact center status amonga plurality of agents of a contact center, the method comprising: aremote monitor sending an information request to agent computer systemsof the contact center, wherein said contact center comprises theplurality of agents, and wherein said agent computer systems comprise: aprocessor; a communication port; and an electronic illumination device;responsive to receiving said information request, the agent computersystems of said plurality of agents determining real-time statusinformation; and electronic illumination devices of the agent computersystems illuminating respective colors representative of respectivereal-time status information determined by the associated agent computersystems responsive to said information request, wherein each electronicillumination device comprises: an electrical and physical interfaceoperable to be coupled a communication port of an associated agentcomputer system; a rod-shaped casing housing said electrical andphysical interface; a circuit board comprising circuitry housed withinsaid casing, wherein said circuitry receives control signals from theassociated agent computer system over the interface and controls anillumination element; and the illumination element disposed on one endof the rod shaped-casing and operable to produce the respective colorsrepresentative of the real-time status information, wherein saidreal-time status information is determined by said processor andinformation read by said processor from said agent computer systems. 11.The method of claim 10 wherein said real-time status informationcomprises tasks currently performed by each agent.
 12. The method ofclaim 10 wherein said real-time status information comprises an identityof a first agent, wherein the first agent has a highest performancelevel based on a prescribed metric.
 13. The method of claim 10 whereinsaid real-time status information comprises productivity information forthe agents.
 14. A method of monitoring contact center status among aplurality of agents, the method comprising: receiving an informationrequest; determining real-time status of agent computer systemsassociated with the plurality of agents in response to said informationrequest, wherein the agent computer systems comprise a processor and acommunication port; and based on the real-time status read from a lightconfiguration to determine lighting effects that correspond to thereal-time status, causing electronic illumination devices associatedwith the agent computer systems to produce the lighting effectsreflective of the real-time status determined in response to saidinformation request, wherein each electronic illumination devicecomprises: an electrical and physical interface operable to be coupledto a communication port of an agent computer system; a rod-shaped casinghousing said interface; a circuit board comprising circuitry housedwithin said casing, wherein said circuitry receives control signals fromthe agent computer system over the interface and controls anillumination element; wherein the illumination element is disposed onone end of the rod shaped-casing and operable to produce lightingeffects that correspond to the real-time statuses associated with theagent computer system.
 15. The method of claim 14 wherein said real-timestatuses indicate if a respective agent has requested assistance. 16.The method of claim 14 further comprising the electronic devicesilluminating a new color when a respective agent no longer requiresassistance.
 17. The method of claim 14 wherein the agent computersystems further comprise a network interface, and further comprising theagent computer systems sending the real-time statuses to a remotemonitor system using the network interface.
 18. The method of claim 17further comprising said remote monitor system selecting a first agent ofthe plurality of agents to receive assistance.
 19. The method of claim18 wherein a respective electronic illumination device associated withthe first agent changes color responsive to being selected by thesupervisor computer system.